The UNDP-GEF POPs Resource Kit - International POPs Elimination ...

INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
1. The Council of the GEF, aware of the growing international consensus on the
reduction and/or elimination of releases of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) into the
environment, and of the successful development of the negotiation process for a new global
convention, has requested the GEF Secretariat to develop the main elements of an operational
program to guide GEF’s actions in addressing this new global challenge.
2. The financial resources required to assist countries in meeting their obligations under
the draft Convention, and the mechanism for their provision, is still under discussion. Should
the GEF be designated as the financial mechanism to the Convention, the guidelines set forth
in this new Operational Program will be adapted and revised in the light of the provisions of
the Convention itself, of future decisions and guidance by the COP, and in consultation with
the Convention Secretariat. To assist GEF eligible countries to address the full scope of
obligations that might emerge under the new legal instrument, additional resources will need
to be available to the GEF Trust Fund within the framework of the Third Replenishment
(discussions will begin in October 2000 for a completion in early 2002).
3. This new cross-cutting operational program would be exclusively dedicated to
Persistent Organic Pollutants, and in particular to the twelve substances being considered for
international action, and to those substances that might be added in the future under the
provisions of the Convention. It would include two main categories of eligible actions:
(i) development and strengthening of capacity, to enable the recipient
country to meet the objectives of the convention. This first group of
activities would be eligible for full funding of agreed costs;
(ii) on-the-ground interventions, aimed at implementing specific phase-out
measures. This category will be eligible for GEF incremental costs
funding.
4. GEF-facilitated activities on other Persistent Toxic Substances (PTSs) will continue
under Operational program 10, Contaminant-based program. Eligible actions will be
focused on the transboundary impact of PTSs on the aquatic environment and biodiversity.
5. In response to countries’ requests, synergies and opportunities for the implementation
of comprehensive responses to the challenges posed by POPs, and PTSs in general could be
enhanced through coordinated, complementary actions in both operational programs.
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